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Kakishibu
What color is the house going to be? Since our Facebook group exercise in exterior colorways in March of 2022, I have visualised the exterior walls of the house as a medium-dark brown to contrast with the silver roof. The tonal change creates a visual bridge between the roof and the black window frames and…
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Hatake (kitchen garden)
On the slope above the house at 555, just below the beautiful tree we call the Ent, is the old kitchen garden. The Kawasakis haven’t used it in a while and they gave me permission to take it over. So I’ve spent the past week tromping around taking measure of the space. I cut back…
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80% great
I was talking with my friend and neighbor, Hitomi, at 555. I’d given her and Kengo a tour of the house thus far and we were talking about how amazing it is. I also mentioned how I sometimes feel fraught with anxiety over decisions. 555 should outlast me and I don’t plan to move (though…
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Windows on site
The windows arrived today. It was a real thrill to see them all arranged on the truck. The three guys delivering them came 90 minutes earlier than expected and I was the only person at 555, so I oversaw the unloading and signed for the goods. Shortly after they left, Sasaki-san and our “sash man”…
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Lighting is hard
In the past couple of weeks, I have been giving thought to lighting the house. Our quote was the most basic of basic setups and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. So I made a new plot. It wasn’t easy and it’s not done. Some lighting choices are easier than others. The bedroom…
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In the Attic
Sasaki-san’s off today so that means I can poke around the construction site without troubling anyone. So my first priority today was to climb the ladder to walk freely (and carefully) around the freshly laid attic floor. I love this space. Absolutely exceeds expectations. There is more room than I imagined. It is cosy. The…
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Ceiling-ish
Up in the attic this week, Sasaki-san’s putting down the plywood sheets for the floor which also give us the effect of ceilings downstairs. Now it feels like we have rooms, even if they lack walls for now. It’s slow work; each column is slotted along the bottom to accommodate the plywood board before it…
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Foraged fiber cord
I’ve become interested in the fiber plants that grow wild at 555. Over the late summer, I learned that the nettles which grow like weeds all around the property are useful. They are food in spring, but as they grow they become excellent fiber plants. With enough processing, they can be used to make baskets,…
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Under the floor
The team built the underfloor support structure last week and it looks so cool. Each concrete pier is glued to the cement, a buffer of waterproofing between the cement and the wooden support column. Termite proof, just about. The supports hold up heavy floor beams which are also carved into the daodai at either end.…
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Roof edges
Today was the final design meeting for the roof sheeting. All the details were ironed out and questions answered with examples in 1:1 scale. Every edge, nook, corner, and exposed part was reviewed and agreed. The galvalume arrived at the end of last week – two thin stacks. It looks like there is almost nothing…
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